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Gangsta Rap trial, which included at least three for- mer clients of his, Pasquin, on March 6, earned the dubious distinction of being the first lawyer in Canada convicted of gangsterism. On June 12, Quebec Court Judge Carol St-Cyr sentenced 49-year- old Pasquin to serve 54 months or 4.5 years in prison. Despite the jail time imposed, Pasquin calmly walked out of the courthouse a free man after defence lawyer Pierre Panaccio dashed across the street to the Quebec Court of Appeal fol- lowing the sentencing to complete filing a challenge of his client's verdict. At press time, Pasquin remained free while await- ing a hearing on his appeal. He hasn't practised since his 2006 arrest and on March 24, was provision- ally disbarred by the Barreau on the basis of his conviction. Barreau secretary Sylvie Champagne said when the execu- tive committee is informed a lawyer has been found guilty of a criminal offence, "we want to act quickly to protect the public if there is a link to [the lawyer's] profession." Even when the offending lawyer appeals his conviction as Pasquin has, "we can act sooner and not wait for an [appeal] decision. If he wins the appeal, then the disbarment is dropped." She said it can also be dropped if the Barreau's disciplinary committee doesn't file a complaint against the lawyer. For a man who seemed to love the public limelight, Pasquin kept a very guarded and low-key personal life with his circle of close friends apparently made up more of former clients than col- leagues. Like both Pasquin and Panaccio, many Quebec lawyers contacted who have worked with or against the diminu- tive defender over the years also declined to be interviewed for this story. They either didn't know Pasquin well enough, despite having worked alongside him, or felt unable to comment because of lawyer-client confidentiality. There were shocked expressions when he appeared at a March hearing accom- panied by older brother Richard, himself a disgraced criminal lawyer. It had been about a decade since anyone had seen the elder Pasquin, who had sometimes co- defended Hells Angels with his sibling. There had even been rumours Richard was either in hiding or had been killed and disposed of by unhappy former cli- ents. He hasn't practised since the fall of 2001, following his sixth administra- tive disbarment in 19 years for not pay- ing his dues to the Barreau du Québec. The now-retired supportive sibling was back at the sentencing, telling reporters he's confident his brother will win the appeal. In sentencing arguments on April 23, The Business of Printing Solutions Panaccio told St-Cyr that Pasquin began serving a life term the minute he was found guilty. "Mr. Pasquin has since lost his reputation, his house, and his spouse, everything he has worked for," Panaccio said in asking for a 23-month condi- tional sentence. He described Pasquin as essentially a social reject since his arrest who has also lost his standing among his professional colleagues. Panaccio spoke about how his client had been both recognized and respected in Quebec through the hundreds of sto- ries written about his highly-publicized cases over the years, especially those involving illegal gangs. At Pasquin's conviction, Madeleine We have advanced to the highest levels in print technology to offer superior quality and diversified printing solutions. C Responsible Forest Management Cert no. SW-COC-002302 For all of your printing needs, please contact your Local Area Sales Representative or our Customer Care Team. Dye & Durham is an FSC certified company making a commitment to Responsible Forest Management Dye & Durham is A Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd E &D S I URH PREFERRED SUPPLIER A N CE 19 9 dyedurham.ca • 1-888-393-3874 • Fax: 1-800-263-2772 34 JULY 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com ntitled-1 1 6/9/09 9:58:46 AM Giauque and Roger Carrière, the same two Crown prosecutors he had gone up against in the highly-publicized 2002-03 Hells Angels mega-trial that lasted 11 months, jointly recommended he be put behind bars for six years. That would include two years for the gangsterism conviction. "He was involved in traffick- ing for several months and his friends were criminals," Giauque noted. Her col- league also pointed out Pasquin "acted as an intermediary between the supplier, Michael Russell, and the head of the DY M 8 W e ' r e a y C a n a p d i m a n o a n